Biografia

Jerry Calliste Jr, born (Gerald C. Calliste Jr), November 26, 1965 in Bronx, New York where he lived for the first 5 years of his life then the family moved to Inwood & Washington Heights area of North Manhattan is an entrepreneur, lateral thinker, consultant, power broker, executive producer, music publisher, producer and songwriter and energetic team leader. He stands 6’5 (1.96 meters) and is (250lbs) 133kg.

Calliste Jr. for over 30 years developed and partnered music companies that sold an estimated 5.0 million units, generating an estimated $25M in global sales. He attracted thousands to events including events he organized, directed and co-sponsored by Guess? Inc., FTV, Charles Penzone, Columbus Monthly, The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson’s V.I.P. birthday bash, Finlandia, Jack Daniels and other celebrities and brands and increased attendance by 350%.

Calliste Jr. manages people, products and bootstraps start ups from inception to fruition expediently and successfully. His peers say he’s “an authority on music marketing, licensing, and independent talent development.” Also, “…a natural at identifying new trends and opportunities related to start ups and strategic business.”

Today Calliste Jr. is founder and managing director of boutique management consulting firm Calliste Communications (Callistecomm). At Callistecomm he and his team consult entrepreneurs and small business owners, research and implement strategic alliances, create joint venture deals, locate and apply innovative technologies such as digital media management software and e-commerce solutions, and on occasion develop and manage lead generation, grass-roots press and marketing promotions campaigns.

In 2010, Calliste Jr. is founder at indy digital music company Bassmintmusic.tv an independent music video service, co-founder, COO and President at USA tech start up Simplestream Technologies an IaaS/SaaS managed cloud hosting solutions company.

Calliste Jr. Since 2001 serves as Chairman, CEO and President of Bassmint Music Inc. At Bassmint he created curriculum for 2 collegiate internships in media & public relations and marketing. He volunteered over 4,500 hrs supervising 30 plus interns. Also at Bassmint Calliste Jr. and a Ohio State University student intern created an educational rewards program that was recognized by the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers community relations department for three consecutive years.

In recent years Calliste Jr. project managed the custom software and web site development of a customized MP3 download and ring tone service Bassmintmusic.com. While at Callistecomm.com he negotiated, created and launched the recent joint venture deal for Simplestream.us.

He currently attends the Ross School of Management and Leadership at Franklin University, where he studies on-line dual majors, BSc. in Information Technology and BSc. in Management Information Sciences at Franklin University.

Independent Labels, Recorded Music & Music Publishing

Calliste Jr. successfully founded, co-founded and executive managed music companies, developed artists and promoted events, licensed and sold music. His peers say he’s “an authority on music marketing, licensing, and independent talent development.” Since 1983 he developed and partnered companies that sold an “est. 5.0 million” units, roughly 2.5 million units sold on one title. “He’s a natural at identifying new trends and opportunities related to start ups and strategic business.” From his humble beginnings as a janitor at Tommy Boy Records at age 16. To co-founder and vice president at 17 years old of the now 27 year old Electro Hip Hop, Dance Freestyle, Latino and Pop music label Cutting Records, Calliste Jr, to put it mildly excels in the recorded music and music publishing business.

As an Electro Hip Hop songwriter and producer Jerry receives international acclaim as Electro Hip-Hop songwriter, producer and artist “Hashim” primarily for his seminal hit “Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)” in UK, USA, NETH, GER, FR, JP and CAN.

Calliste Jr. appears on 80+ music compilations, game-tracks and soundtracks with artists such as Missy Elliott, David Bowie, New Order, Human League, Tone Loc, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Timbaland and Magoo, Run DMC, Common featuring Pharrell, Jay-Z, Eminem, 50 Cent, Barrington Levy, Baby Anne, Benny Benassi, Newcleus, Grandmaster Flash, Shannon, Afrika Bambaataa and Rob Base and EZ Rock and more.

Calliste Jr.’s music appears on video games: ActiVision’s “DJ Hero Renegade Edition” (2009), Sony Computer Entertainment of America’s “NBA Shootout 2004″ (2004), Rockstar Games “Grand Theft Auto Vice City” (2003) for the TV commercial and Sony/Epic Records soundtrack.

Labels around the world such as Ministry of Sound (UK), Fabric (UK), DJ Magazine (UK), Susu (JP), Kontor (GER), Polystar (GER), Meridan (GER), Studio K7! (UK), Tiger SushiSony/ Epic (USA), Virgin Records (UK), Universal Records (UK), Universal Music (UK), Universal Music TV (UK), DefSTAR (JP), Ninja Tune (USA), EMI Music (Benelux), Pianola Music (FRA), Carerre (FRA) have licensed and sold his music for close to 30 years.

A-List Lifestyle (additional information to be added)

For many years Calliste Jr. lived the New York City “A-list” lifestyle. He dated pop music star and legend Madonna’s sister, Paula M. Ciccone who he met while producing music at Unique Recording Studios (NY). Paula was a receptionist at the studio who conveniently lived uptown Manhattan four blocks from his apartment and two blocks from the Cutting Records office. He partied with actresses and actors; Jorja-An Fox of ER, CSI Las Vegas, Tom Barringer, Vanessa Williams, Nona Hendricks, Eddie Murphy’s crew, Brooke Shields, Boy George, Mark Vincent (Vin Diesel), Grace Jones, Wendy Gordy, Tookie Smith (Willi Wear) and many others. Calliste Jr. also happened his way on to the set of the Eddie Murphy movie “Boomerang” while escorting Grace Jones’s mother with food for friends and cast. On the set he met Robin Given, Halle Berry and others. Calliste Jr once again happened his way into the Eddie Murphy movie “Holy Man” when they were shooting in Miami Beach (More A-List Lifestyle information and stories to be posted).

After eleven years of attending events almost every night Calliste Jr., 28, was feeling burned out from the constant party promotions lifestyle.

Ohio

By 1992 and looking for a new start away from his busy New York City lifestyle Calliste Jr decided to change direction. So he headed to Columbus, Ohio. Why Columbus? Change. His daughter was 9 and not getting any younger. He was referred to a group of aspiring recorded music executives located in the Midwest by an old neighborhood friend Michael “Blue” Williams. Mike at the time was on tour with Jodeci and eventually went on to executive manage Outkast and others. So he decided to change his lifestyle for his daughter – and change he did.

Calliste Jr.’s first six months in Columbus, Ohio landed him a job as a residential coordinator at St Vincent’s Childrens center (Now St. Vincent’s Family Center). Calliste Jr. excelled and was asked to perform interim crisis manager and adaptive behavior specialist duties. He worked at St. Vincents for 3.5 years. During his off hours Calliste Jr. eventually met Columbus’s local DJ’s where except for a few Lanese, Gallicchio and Dougherty he kept his music business success quiet.

As time went on Calliste Jr recognized the Columbus scene was definitely no New York City. So he picked up the phone and started connecting with his New York and European DJs and producer friends. The rest is history.

 

Within two years Calliste Jr.’s marketing and promotions campaigns increased night club attendance on average by 175% and revenues by 320% with close to fifteen thousand passing through the doors. He consistently secured sponsors of major brands Jack Daniels, Corona Extra, Budweiser, Finlandia, Guess?, Charles Penzone Spa and others. While in Columbus, Ohio in 2000, he hosted a V.I.P. birthday bash for The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, a Guess? Inc. summer collection fashion show and a Columbus Monthly magazine release event.

Calliste Jr is also very active in the communities he serves. Since 2003 Jerry has created curriculum for two collegiate internship programs one for Media and Public Relations Coordinator and the other Marketing Assistant positions respectively. Both internships provide 5 credit hours to seniors towards their major at The Ohio State University, Ohio University, Capital University, Ohio Wesleyan University, University of Miami (FL), University of Hartford (CT) and other U.S. based universities and one foreign university Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). To date Calliste Jr has volunteered over 4,500 hours supervising 30 plus interns.

Volunteer and Fund Raiser

Calliste Jr. volunteers for political fundraisers and non-profits: In 1999 Jerry participated on then President of Columbus City Council Michael Coleman for Mayor campaign – Mr. Coleman is still Mayor. In 2007, he was recruited by an attorney and participated as a volunteer finance committee on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton Primary for President. From 2008 until 2010 he served as volunteer Special Adviser to Fairfax, Virginia based Stargazer Foundation (Stargazer.org) a U.S. 501(c)(3) focused on “Harnessing the Power of Technology for Social Good”. He also volunteers on the Economist’s Intelligent Unit panel, Reuters Business Insights panel and as of 2010 is moderator of an entertainment industry based group on the exclusive Chinese networking site Ushi.cn.

Internet

In 1983 at 18 years old instead of buying a car with is music royalties Calliste Jr purchased his first of many computers an IBM PC and immediately took to computing. In high school Calliste Jr. participated in an IBM sponsored advanced math and science program. Since 1997 when he briefly served as Marketing Assistant at Columbus, Ohio based Liquid Media, Calliste Jr. found his second career calling, The Internet. By 1999, he registered the first of several Dot com’s – Bassmintmusic.com.

Education

Calliste Jr. currently is enrolled and attends the Ross School of Management and Leadership at Franklin University where he double major’s in information technology and management information sciences. Independent of his official classwork when he finds time he studies fractals, statistics, randomness, chaos and mathematical modeling. Calliste Jr. is strongly considering participating at M.I.T. Sloan School of Management’s PhD. program. His interest, Behavioral & Policy Sciences – Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (T.I.E.S.) or the Management Science – Information Technologies or Marketing programs. Calliste Jr. is fluent in English, strengthening his Spanish, speaks some Arabic and some French and is learning Mandarin Chinese.

Family

As of 2012 Calliste Jr. is single and an available bachelor. He is the oldest of two sibling brothers, a father and a grandfather.

Most Notable Achievements

• Received RIAA Gold awards for 500,000 units sold on each of these artists: Ahmad “Back In the Day” and 2 In A Room “Wiggle It”.
• Major contributor of the creation and history of Electro music genre. Influenced artists in Hip-Hop and Funk music scenes as he’s depicted in the following books:
- “All Music Guide to Hip Hop – The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip Hop”
- “Freddy Fresh presents The Rap Records 1st Edition – The Ultimate Vinyl Resource Book.”
• Songwriter and music publisher member of ASCAP 1983 and 1985 respectively.
• At 16, he promoted first event. He negotiated with skating rink owners to turn rink into a dance club for one night. He secured services of radio station personality Mary Thomas of New York City’s WRKS Kiss-FM to host the event, 763 people attended (Capacity 1000).
• Also at 16, he got his start at Tommy Boy Records as a janitor then independent promoter.
• At 17, he co-founded Cutting Records Inc (New York) where he served as Vice President of National Radio and Retail, A&R, negotiated company contracts with attorney’s and performed club promotions. He and his two partners grew Cutting to #1 Independent label status within 2 years.
• As recording artists Hashim he receives songwriting and music publishing royalties for general performance, radio, movies, cable and T.V. since 1983 and 1985 respectively from 45 countries.

© 2007 – 2012 Jerry Calliste Jr. & jerrycallistejr.com All Rights Reserved.